Turnabout Intruder
by Aviva Tsuion
Summary: Captain Kirk has switched bodies with the desperate Dr. Janice Lester, through no will of his own. She has taken over the Enterprise and sentenced all who oppose her to death, along with the real Captain. The crew is becoming suspicious, but will she be stopped before it's too late? How I think the final episode of Star Trek: TOS should have ended.


Spock paced the small cell.

Four of them had been haphazardly shoved into a chamber built to hold one, but it gave them the advantage of communication, so they had little cause for complaint. It seemed the impostor - the actual Dr. Janice Lester - had not thought it over particularly well, likely due to an excess of emotion. Still, she had thought well enough to record Dr. McCoy and Lieutenant Scott's conversation during the trial. But calling for an execution had been a mistake…

"Spock! Stop your blasted pacing and help us plan!" Dr. McCoy exclaimed, forcing him from his thoughts.

"Bones…" Dr. Lester - the actual captain - cautioned, his feminine voice still strange to Spock's ears, though he was more sure of the captain's identity every moment he was in his presence.

Spock snapped to attention nonetheless, as the captain turned towards him and continued, "Spock, what's your opinion on the situation? You and Scotty saw more than I did..."

He nodded sharply, "The crew is uneasy with your impostor, Lieutenant Sulu and Ensign Chekov in particular. Their loyalty to you may have held them back so far, but when the impostor called for our execution, I suspect many realized something was amiss. Still, it is illogical to rely on a mere suspicion."

"Of course they realized something was amiss!" Lieutenant Scott remarked, "The 'captain' isn't acting anything like Kirk, here!"

"Recommended course of action?" the captain demanded, ignoring Lieutenant Scott's comment.

"In case I am wrong, you must escape before the execution is held. Starbase command must be informed of what has happened, namely the orders for our execution and the conclusion we have come to on your misplaced identity - the latter will be especially important in the event you return to your proper body-"

"What do you mean 'in the event'?" Dr. McCoy interrupted, "I thought you said you managed to get him back onto the bridge for a moment!"

"That was short lived, I do not know if I can completely reverse the exchange. Whether I can or not, it will take more time than we have at the moment. There are more important matters at hand," Spock retorted, "I suggest you escape with the captain and contact Starfleet, while Lieutenant Scott and I stay here and go to the execution and incite general mutiny against the impostor there."

"Listen here!" Dr. McCoy demanded as Lieutenant Scott opened his mouth to retort.

The captain raised a hand for silence, "We need to get out of here before then," he gave Spock a meaningful look, "All of us."

"Captain-" Spock insisted.

"I will hear no more about it, understood?"

"Yes, sir." Spock moved to attention, hands behind his back.

Captain Kirk smiled warmly - the expression looked strange in his female form, "Now-"

The sound of approaching footsteps cut him short.

"Get back, now!" the captain whispered, and they quickly hid themselves against the wall by the door.

Spock pushed the captain behind him as he took the spot nearest the door on one side, while Scotty took the other, Dr. McCoy behind him.

"I know you traitors are in there!" the impostor exclaimed, "Get them!"

A security officer ran in, phaser out. Scotty disarmed him and Spock pinched his neck, and he fell to the ground. Another shortly followed, firing as he entered. Spock leaped at him to knock him to the ground. The officer fell as Spock was stunned from behind.

He could hear men and women shouting, their voices piercing through a phaser-induced sleep. His hands were tied behind his back, his legs folded at the knees, against the floor. Spock forced his eyes open as he found himself in the shuttle bay, beside him was the captain - still in the body of Dr. Lester - next to him Dr. McCoy, and on the far end, Lieutenant Scott. Surrounding them were security officers in their distinctive red uniforms. The shouting came from the crowd of command officers gathered around the edges of the shuttle bay.

He was about to call to the captain when he heard Lieutenant Scott exclaim, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Scotty…" the captain cautioned somewhat groggily over the loud click-clack of approaching footsteps.

"Captain, are you okay?" Spock called out as quietly as he could, to still be heard, as the impostor came to a stop in front of them.

"I'm well enough," Captain Kirk replied.

He was about to continue when the impostor spoke, "You four have been charged and convicted of mutiny against your commanding officer, and have been sentenced to death by injection. I would have expected better from Starfleet officers, such as yourselves, but I suppose we all face disappointment at times… Dr. Arthur Coleman will now administer the injection, starting with Dr. Lester."

With that, the impostor waved over Dr. Coleman, who slowly approached the captain, a syringe in his hand.

"No!" Dr. McCoy shouted.

"You can't!" Lieutenant Scott exclaimed.

Spock remained silent, just one step closer, one step closer and then he would be in range. Finally he lept from where he knelt and slammed himself into Dr. Coleman, knocking him from his feet and out of the way. The syringe fell from his hand and slid across the floor.

"Stop him!" the impostor screamed, "Shoot! Kill him now! Guards, I order you!"

"I order you not to shoot!" Spock interrupted, "Do you forget that the death penalty has been outlawed in all cases but one?"

The security officers hesitated as Dr. Coleman struggled under Spock's weight.

"He's a traitor! Dare you betray my orders?" the impostor demanded.

"He's not the captain!" Lieutenant Sulu shouted from the edge of the crowd. Both he and Ensign Chekov had their hands tied behind their backs and a security officer beside each of them with phasers drawn.

"Or if he is the Keptin, he's not himself!" Ensign Chekov amended.

"Shoot them all!" the impostor ordered.

"He's not the captain," Captain Kirk announced, forcing himself to his feet, the ropes that held his hands behind his back fell to the ground in pieces, "I am. I know it's hard to believe; technology that enables two people to switch minds, but we've encountered stranger things. In fact, if I am correct, there's a Vulcan technique that enables two minds to inhabit the same body-"

"Katra," Spock supplied, though his focus remained on the struggling Doctor.

"Exactly! This isn't so outlandish! Think! Does he act like me? Is this something I would do? Would I condemn my First Officer, my Chief Medical Officer, and my Chief Engineer to death, against Starfleet regulation? Even if you think he really is Captain Kirk, Chekov is right, the man before you is not fit for duty as captain, therefore, Mr. Spock is in charge!"

"This woman is insane and dangerous! She is conspiring with Commander Spock to take over my command! Kill them!" the impostor screamed.

No one moved.

"Spock…" the captain quietly hinted.

"I order you to-" Spock began as he was pushed to the ground by Dr. Coleman.

Dr. Coleman scrambled to grab the syringe. A phaser sounded from the edges of the room and the Doctor fell to the ground, stunned.

"No!" the impostor screeched, scanning the crowd, "Who dares challenge my authority?"

"I do!" Lieutenant Uhura called out, "You're not the real Captain! Starfleet has been notified-"

"Get her! She will be executed with the rest!"

The security officers didn't move.

"Arrest the impostor!" Kirk ordered.

For a moment the security officers glanced around in confusion, before the chief of security pipped up, "She's the captain, do as she says."

.

Captain Kirk, still in the body of Dr. Janice Lester, sat in the captain's place on the bridge. Mr. Spock stood beside the captain as the other officers went about their work as usual.

"You're sure you won't be able to switch me back?" Kirk asked, mildly disappointed - surprising considering the circumstances.

"I don't believe so," Spock replied, "But that is not necessarily bad."

"What makes you say that?" the captain's tone was skeptical.

"It did convince them to repeal the law preventing women from becoming Starship captains." Spock explained.

"They were bound to repeal it soon enough, anyways. The law was outdated. And I'm still stuck as a woman."

Spock quirked an eyebrow at the captain, "I am sure you will get used to it."

"It doesn't seem to bother you much." Kirk retorted.

"You are the same person, no matter what form you take."

Kirk laughed, "I suppose so…" the captain turned to Chekov and Sulu at the navigators' station, "Warp 4 ahead, we need to get to the Omega colonies, quickly."

"Yes sir." they both replied and the Enterprise sped off into the endless expanse of space, its mission to "go where no man has gone before" always close at hand.


End file.
